The Wisdom Jesus

Available On-Demand

Ironically, the greatest impediment to coming face to face with Jesus may just be the religion founded in his name! After nearly more than two millennia of some heavy-handed doctrinal and moral interpretation, it's sometimes hard to find that authentic "beginner's mind" in which true spiritual encounter takes place.

Re-finding "beginner's mind" is what this Online Retreat and Practice Circle is all about. Based on the internationally acclaimed The Wisdom Jesus by S&P Living Spiritual Teacher Cynthia Bourgeault, this e-course offers a safe and spiritually stimulating space in which to move beyond old spiritual conditioning and meet Jesus — and the teaching he brings — in a brand new context.

To Bourgeault, Jesus first and foremost is a Wisdom teacher, grounded in the universal traditions of spiritual transformation, and the first teacher of non-dual consciousness the West had ever seen. Almost two thousand years ahead of his time, he stands in the lineage of the great Jewish prophets, the master "cardiologist" entrusted with implementing the promise made to the prophet Ezekiel: "I will take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Jesus shows us what a "heart of flesh" looks like, what spiritual practices support it and flow out of it, and how it can transform the world. His teachings are as revolutionary today as they were in his own times — and just as misheard.

This e-course is written in a way that is spiritually inclusive, open to people of all faith traditions — or none — and geared toward transformational practices, not creedal statements. Cynthia approaches Jesus first and foremost as a universal cultural treasure, whose extraordinary teachings and heart exemplify the highest consciousness a human being can live out of. He belongs to all humanity, and his message of universal love needs once again to sound clear and true in our fragile and fractured world.

"The Wisdom Jesus with Cynthia Bourgeault" consist of these elements:

• 15 emails in which Cynthia begins by explaining what she means by a wisdom teacher and the various wisdom methods and texts. She then moves on to an in-depth consideration of some of Jesus' parables and the lessons in the Beatitudes. She also provides guidance on contemplative practices to use with this wisdom and practices to bring it into your daily life.

• recordings of two teleconferences from when this e-retreat was first offered in the fall of 2012. Cynthia answers questions and respond to comments.

Describing this offering, Cynthia says: "The course will cover the basic material in The Wisdom Jesus, but there will be something new here even if you've already read the book: a greater emphasis on Jesus' teachings themselves.

"Christianity isn't a failure; it just hasn't been tried yet," the British humorist G. K. Chesterton once quipped. Come join us in the re-booting effort!